Vivien Jackl smashes her personal best and finishes fourth in the 1500 free at the Paris Euros
Aug 14, 2026 · 22:45
The 17-year-old Hungarian swimmer took almost ten seconds off her personal best and touched home fourth in Paris.
Vivien Jackl finished fourth in the women's 1500 metres freestyle final at the European Championships in Paris.
The 17-year-old qualified for Friday evening's final with the fifth-fastest time from Thursday's heats (16:16.34), in the only final with Hungarian involvement on the day.
A brave start and a huge personal best
Jackl went out far more aggressively in the final: a third of the way in she was already almost ten seconds up on her split from the previous day, and she increased the pace again at the 1000-metre mark. A podium finish was ultimately out of reach, as the bronze medallist from Germany was three seconds ahead, but she touched home fourth with a personal best of 15:57.39, taking nearly ten seconds off her previous mark. Italy's Simona Quadarella won the event in 15:46.22.
Satisfaction with a small sting
Speaking in the mixed zone, the Hungarian swimmer said she could be happy with this swim even if a small sting remained because the medal escaped her, adding that she had given everything she had. She explained that she sometimes struggles with confidence, so she tried not to focus on whether she had started too quickly, while her coach Márta Kocsis urged her on from the poolside throughout. She closed by saying it had been a long year and she had come back from a long way, which makes the personal best especially meaningful.
Back in action on Saturday
Jackl continues her European Championships on Saturday in the 200 metres butterfly.
Final result, women's 1500m freestyle: 1. Simona Quadarella (Italy) 15:46.22, 2. Isabel Gose (Germany) 15:49.31, 3. Maya Werner (Germany) 15:52.50, 4. Vivien Jackl (Hungary) 15:57.39.
